Over three years ago, international adoptions ceased in the small country of Kyrgyzstan, leaving 65 orphans stranded and 65 American families fighting to have their adoptions finalized. Altynai's Legacy Adoption Fund, in partnership with Lifesong for Orphans', mission is to provide financial assistance to those amazing families. January 2013 Update: $28,400 raised!!! Goal: $40,000

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Waiting for Bakyt

I love posting the waiting children and family stories. They touch my heart and I hope that they touch yours. Can you just imagine the joy that these families are going to feel when they are reunited???? Their children's lives will be forever changed for the better! So without further ado please enjoy reading about Bakyt and the DeBoer Family.

Waiting, to say the least, is one of the hardest things we've had to endure to bring home Bakyt. Our lives go on every day, we smile, we play, we laugh, but our hearts miss someone. Our hearts miss Bakyt. We received his referral 3 years and 8 months ago. It was an amazing day! To be given the gift of a child either biological or through adoption is a miracle. We started preparing in every way for his journey home. We were so excited!

Adoption was not new to us. Our first son came home from Kyrgyzstan in October of 2007. We had applied with our agency in November of 2006 to bring home two children at the same time. It didn't quite work out as we planned, but we happily brought home our new baby and our lives were forever changed through adoption. After many years of infertility treatment, loss of unborn children, and a failed domestic adoption, we felt hopeless and full of despair. But, our hearts were completely filled with joy bringing home our son. Not only were we filled with joy, but we were filled with compassion for orphans. Every child is unique. God loves them and has plans and desires for them. We are called to step out together and love these children, to care for them, and if possible, to adopt them as our very own.

In the beginning, our plan was to bring home two orphans from Kyrgyzstan. Our agency was unable to give us two referrals, but shortly after we came home with our first son, we found out about little Bakyt. The process was slower the second time around. We waited and waited and didn't really know what was going on. We remained patient. And then finally in September of 2008 our paperwork was stamped by the Kyrgyz government and we were waiting for a court date. However, court never happened. Kyrgyzstan put a moratorium on adoptions, shortly after that the government was overthrown, new government was installed, and lots of red tape kept us away from our son. The delays never ended. We were not to going to give up on him and kept praying for a resolution along with the other waiting families. Not knowing if Bakyt would ever come home was very difficult.

During the wait, we wanted to continue building our family. We adopted another precious son in September of 2010 from South Korea. He is an amazing blessing and we are filled with gratitude to call him our child. We can't imagine life without our two boys and are forever grateful that God led us down the path of adoption. Our hearts skip a beat when we find out someone is adopting. Every child deserves a family. Whether you have biological children, or suffered infertility, or are a single parent, we are so moved when people choose to adopt. There are so many orphans, so many children alone, so many without an inheritance, so many without a family, so many who feel lost and unloved...so many.

Bakyt was placed on our hearts for a reason. We've watched him grow up in pictures and in an institution. And while we are grateful that he is being cared for in small ways, we know that living with a family that loves you is the best place to be. Bakyt's growing older, but our love for him grows stronger every day. His adoption has been a treacherous and weary journey. It has been expensive. It has not been easy or predictable. But we will keep stepping forward on this journey, no matter how slow or rough it gets, because our son is waiting for us! Recently, there has been good news and we are hopeful adoptions will resume in Kyrgyzstan.

We have been blessed on this difficult journey in many ways. First, we know many people who pray for the orphans in Kyrgyzstan. Second, the waiting families have been committed to supporting one another and collectively doing all they can to bring home the children. The "Kyrgyz 65" group is an amazing bunch of people. They are advocates for orphans not just in Kyrgyzstan, but around the world and in the U.S. Please consider contributing to Altynai's Legacy Adoption Fund. In truth, adoption changes lives and saves lives. No matter how big or small you may contribute, every little bit can help a child live with a family that loves them. We are living proof! We see it in the smiles and giggles of our little boys every day. Some days it almost breaks our hearts thinking they could still be orphans. But they are no longer orphans, they are home, they are loved, they are safe. We pray one day Bakyt will be an orphan no longer. And we pray for the other precious children waiting in Kyrgyzstan to be united with their families who love them.